Gone
by linguisticsrock
Summary: The story of Selene and Helios. One-shot.


Gone

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or any of it's characters.

I was just wondering about how Selene and Helios disappeared, and what their feeling were, how the rest of the gods acted and such. Read and review please!

Zeus POV

It had been happening slowly, gradually, but happening it was. Two of the gods were disappearing. Selene and Helios were fading, becoming nothing but myth.

The process had gone slowly, the siblings only getting a little weaker over a few decades, but it was now accelerating. They now became less powerful by the day.

The two took it stoically, but the other gods were not as graceful. Aphrodite cried for weeks, Ares was constantly gnashing his teeth and complaining about the puny mortals, Hephaestus took to his forge, not coming out for months at a time, Hera looked on with motherly concern, Hestia's fire grew lower and lower to the ground, Athena was even graver than usual, Dionysus compensated by making his parties more boisterous than ever.

But the most affected were Apollo and Artemis. They had been the closest to the Selene and Helios. They were constantly by each others sides, laughing and sharing secrets. I don't know what made them so close, but the fact remained that they loved each other deeply.

And now Selene and Helios were dying.

Apollo's change was the most noticeable, instead of the carefree child we all knew, he was a brooding adult. Sorrow made him dark, the muses followed him, playing songs and writing stories of pure emotion and deep sadness.

However Artemis, was just as deeply affected. Her avatar became one of a woman, because no child could feel what she felt. Her eyes were deep and dark, filled to the brim with suppressed emotion.

And then came the day that Selene and Helios announced that they would be gone by twilight.

There was a collective gasp throughout Olympus as all the gods, from the Olympians to the minor godlings, began to mourn.

All of Mt. Olympus plummeted into the depths of sorrow. All the gods began to take their sadness out on something, some crying, a few cutting their hair, most ruining mortals lives.

I watched the chaos, trying to stay calm. The siblings were two of my favorite gods, rarely picking fights, and only causing trouble when it was needed.

Artemis cut her hair short, she made sure the edges were jagged and rugged, and while she could grow it back at any time, I knew she would make it grow at a normal pace.

Apollo wandered around, spouting poetry and tearing at his golden hair. The muses moaning after him. His eyes were sharp and piercing, and anyone who looked at them flinched, as if burned.

Helios and Selene called us to their thrones, saying they needed to speak with us. Selene began the meeting, "My friends, today is a sad day indeed, today my brother and I leave you forever. But it would be irresponsible of us to depart without taking care of some business." Helios took over, "Yes, would Artemis and Apollo please come to the front." The twins did so and Helios continued, "We are delegating our tasks to you to, and also giving you our worshippers. Apollo, I give you the sun, and with it, my sacred animal, the cow." Apollo nodded, and even as we watched, he grew brighter, shining like the sun. Selene now spoke to Artemis, "Artemis, I give to you the moon, with it the crown made of the moon's crescent." Artemis also nodded, and she too began to glow with a silvery light.

But as Apollo and Artemis absorbed the energy, Helios and Selene gave it up. Olympus watched as the two gods slowly lost their luster, becoming mere apparitions.

Then they were gone, they were now a part of the universe, completely gone.

Artemis threw herself to the ground, sobbing. It was the first time I had seen her break down in public, it would also be the last.

Apollo kneeled, comforting his sister, he picked her up and carried her through the crowd, his face grave and sorrowful.

Artemis and Apollo did not sleep or eat for two years. They kept near each others sides hardly ever with anyone but themselves.

Then, they began to forget. After the two year mark, their fondness of the gods began to fade, the pain was less sharp, and the agony lessened.

They once again began to enjoy themselves, and did their tasks with a renewed vigor.

How great it is to be a god, because when you are god, time really does heal all wounds.

Please tell me what you think!


End file.
